January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 341 days remaining until the end of the year (342 in leap years).
- 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula), known for his eccentricity and cruel despotism, is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards. Claudius succeeds his nephew.
- 1438 - The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa.
- 1679 - King Charles II of England disbands Parliament.
- 1742 - Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1776 - Henry Knox arrives at Cambridge, Massachusetts with the artillery that he has transported from Fort Ticonderoga.
- 1826 - Mississippi College is founded in Clinton, becoming the first college in the state of Mississippi.
- 1848 - California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter's Mill near Sacramento.
- 1857 - The University of Calcutta is formally founded as the first full-fledged university in south Asia.
- 1859 - Political union of Moldavia and Wallachia; Alexandru Ioan Cuza is elected as ruler.
- 1862 - Bucharest proclaimed capital of Romania.
- 1878 - The revolutionary Vera Zasulich shoots at Fyodor Trepov, the Governor of Saint Petersburg.
- 1887 - Battle of Dogali: Abyssinian troops defeat Italians.
- 1907 - Robert Baden-Powell founds the Boy Scout movement.
- 1916 - In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad, the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
- 1918 - The Gregorian calendar introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People's Commissars effective from February 14(NS)
- 1924 - Petrograd, formerly Saint Petersburg, Russia, is renamed Leningrad.
- 1927 - Director Alfred Hitchcock releases his first film, The Pleasure Garden, in England.
- 1936 - Albert Sarraut becomes Prime Minister of France
- 1943 - World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference in Casablanca.
- 1952 - Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor-General of Canada.
- 1966 - An Air India Boeing 707 jet crashes on Mont Blanc, on the border between France and Italy, killing 117.
- 1972 - Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
- 1977 - Massacre of Atocha in Madrid, during the Spanish transition to democracy.
- 1978 - Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering debris over Canada's Northwest Territories.
- 1978 - Rose Dugdale and Eddie Gallagher become the first convicted prisoners to marry in prison in the history of the Republic of Ireland.
- 1984 - The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.
- 1986 - Voyager 2 passes within 81,500 km (50,680 miles) of Uranus.
- 1993 - Turkish journalist and writer Uğur Mumcu is assassinated by a car bomb in Ankara.
- 1996 - Polish Premier Jozef Oleksy resigns amid charges that he spied for Moscow.
- 2003 - The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
- 76 - Hadrian, Roman Emperor (d. 138)
- 1287 - Richard Aungerville, English bishop (d. 1345)
- 1444 - Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1476)
- 1540 - Edmund Campion, English Jesuit (d. 1581)
- 1638 - Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet (d. 1706)
- 1670 - William Congreve, English playwright (d. 1729)
- 1674 - Thomas Tanner, English bishop (d. 1735)
- 1679 - Christian Wolff, German philosopher (d. 1754)
- 1705 - Farinelli, Italian castrato (d. 1782)
- 1712 - King Frederick II of Prussia (d. 1786)
- 1724 - Frances Brooke, English writer (d. 1789)
- 1732 - Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, French playwright (d. 1799)
- 1742 - Anne, Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn (d. 1808)
- 1752 - Muzio Clementi, Italian composer (d. 1832)
- 1754 - Andrew Ellicott, American surveyor (d. 1820)
- 1763 - Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, Russian general (d. 1831)
- 1776 - E.T.A. Hoffmann, German writer (d. 1822)
- 1779 - Elizabeth Alexeievna (Louise of Baden), Russian tsarina (d. 1826)
- 1848 - Vasily Surikov, Russian painter (d. 1916)
- 1862 - Edith Wharton, American writer (d. 1937)
- 1864 - Marguerite Durand, French feminist leader (d. 1936)
- 1872 - Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (d. 1943)
- 1872 - Ethel Turner, Australian author (d. 1958)
- 1873 - Leon Czolgosz, American anarchist, assassin of U.S. President William McKinley (d. 1901)
- 1886 - Henry King, American film director (d. 1982)
- 1888 - Vicki Baum, Austrian writer (d. 1960)
- 1888 - Ernst Heinkel, German aircraft designer (d. 1958)
- 1891 - Walter Model, German field marshal (d. 1945)
- 1895 - Eugen Roth, German writer (d. 1976)
- 1898 - Cliff Heathcote, American baseball player (d. 1939)
- 1901 - Harry Calder, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
- 1902 - E. A. Speiser, American Bible scholar (d. 1965)
- 1905 - J. Howard Marshall, American billionaire (d. 1995)
- 1907 - Maurice Couve de Murville, French politician (d. 1999)
- 1909 - Martin Lings, English Islamic scholar (d. 2005)
- 1909 - Ann Todd, English actress (d. 1993)
- 1910 - Granny D, Doris Haddock, American activist
- 1913 - Norman Dello Joio, American composer
- 1915 - Robert Motherwell, American painter (d. 1991)
- 1916 - Jack Brickhouse, American sports broadcaster (d. 1998)
- 1917 - Ernest Borgnine, American actor
- 1918 - Oral Roberts, American evangelist
- 1919 - Coleman Francis, American film director
- 1920 - Jerry Maren, American actor
- 1922 - Charles Socarides, American psychiatrist (d. 2005)
- 1925 - Maria Tallchief, American ballerina
- 1926 - Georges Lautner, French director and screenwriter
- 1927 - Sir Patrick Macnaghten, 11th Baronet, British aristocrat (d. 2007)
- 1928 - Desmond Morris, British anthropologist
- 1928 - Michel Serrault, French actor (d. 2007)
- 1934 - Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet (d. 1976)
- 1935 - Eric Ashton, English rugby league footballer (d. 2008)
- 1936 - Doug Kershaw, American musician
- 1939 - Ray Stevens, American musician
- 1941 - Neil Diamond, American singer
- 1941 - Aaron Neville, American singer
- 1942 - Gary Hart, American professional wrestling manager and wrestler (d. 2008)
- 1943 - Subhash Ghai, Indian film director
- 1943 - Sharon Tate, American actress and Manson murder victim (d. 1969)
- 1944 - Klaus Nomi, German singer (d. 1983)
- 1945 - D. Todd Christofferson, LDS apostle
- 1945 - John Garamendi, American politician
- 1946 - Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor
- 1947 - Masashi Ozaki, Japanese golfer
- 1947 - Warren Zevon, American musician (d. 2003)
- 1948 - Michael Des Barres, British actor and rock singer
- 1949 - John Belushi, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1950 - Daniel Auteuil, French actor
- 1950 - Benjamin Urrutia, Ecuadorian-born American writer
- 1951 - Yakov Smirnoff, Ukrainian-born American comedian
- 1954 - Jo Gartner, Austrian racing driver (d. 1986)
- 1956 - Hanne Krogh, Norwegian singer (Bobbysocks)
- 1956 - Lounès Matoub, a famous Berber Kabyle singer (d. 1998)
- 1957 - Adrian Edmondson, British comedian
- 1958 - Neil Allen, American baseball player
- 1958 - Jools Holland, British musician
- 1959 - David Mills, American author
- 1959 - Vic Reeves, English comedian
- 1961 - Guido Buchwald, German football player
- 1961 - Nastassja Kinski, German-born actress
- 1961 - Vince Russo, American writer
- 1961 - William Van Dijck, Belgian athlete
- 1963 - Martyn Grimley, English field hockey player
- 1963 - Arnold Vanderlyde, Dutch boxer
- 1965 - Mike Awesome, American professional wrestler (d. 2007)
- 1965 - Carlos Saldanha, Brazilian film director
- 1966 - Jimeoin, Northern Irish comedian
- 1967 - Mark Kozelek, American singer/songwriter (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon)
- 1967 - Phil LaMarr, American voice actor
- 1967 - John Myung, American musician (Dream Theater)
- 1968 - Michael Kiske, German musician
- 1968 - Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
- 1969 - Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Icelandic actor
- 1970 - Matthew Lillard, American actor
- 1971 - Cory Bailey, American baseball player
- 1971 - Andrea Mackris, American television producer
- 1972 - Naoshi Mizuta, Japanese composer
- 1972 - Ulla Werbrouck, Belgian judoka and politician
- 1974 - Ed Helms, American actor
- 1975 - Rónald Gómez, Costa Rican footballer
- 1976 - Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canadian ice dancer with Victor Kraatz
- 1976 - Cindy Pieters, Belgian cyclist
- 1979 - Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
- 1979 - Tom Kostopoulos, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 - Rocky Boiman, American football player
- 1980 - Nicole Marie Lenz, American actress
- 1981 - Travis Hanson, American baseball player
- 1983 - Shaun Maloney, Scottish footballer
- 1983 - Scott Speed, American race car driver
- 1984 - Scott Kazmir, American baseball player
- 1984 - Witold Kiełtyka, Polish drummer (Decapitated) (d. 2007)
- 1986 - Mischa Barton, English-born American actress
- 1986 - Raviv Ullman, Israeli-born American actor
- 41 - Caligula, Emperor of Rome (b. 12)
- 772 - Pope Stephen III (b. 720)
- 1002 - Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 980)
- 1125 - David IV of Georgia (b. 1073)
- 1366 - Alfonso IV of Aragon (b. 1299)
- 1376 - Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, English military leader
- 1473 - Conrad Paumann, German composer
- 1595 - Ferdinand II of Austria (b. 1529)
- 1626 - Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (b. 1580)
- 1639 - Georg Jenatsch, Swiss politician (b. 1596)
- 1666 - Johann Andreas Herbst, German composer (b. 1588)
- 1709 - George Rooke, English admiral (b. 1650)
- 1769 - François de Chevert, French general (b. 1695)
- 1856 - Rabbi Yechezkel of Kuzmir, Polish Hasidic leader (b. 1775)
- 1877 - Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist (b. 1796)
- 1882 - Levi Boone, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1808)
- 1883 - Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
- 1895 - Lord Randolph Churchill, British politician (b. 1849)
- 1911 - David Graham Phillips, American journalist and novelist (b. 1867)
- 1918 - George Arthur Crump, Founder of the Pine Valley Golf Club in Clementon NJ (b. 1871)
- 1920 - Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
- 1924 - Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (b. 1894)
- 1932 - Alfred Yarrow, English shipbuilder (b. 1842)
- 1939 - Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician and nutritionist (b. 1867)
- 1943 - John Burns, English politician (b. 1858)
- 1948 - Maria Mandel, Camp Leader at Auschwitz (b. 1912)
- 1948 - Arthur Liebehenschel, Commandant at Auschwitz concentration camp (b. 1901)
- 1955 - Ira Hayes, American World War II hero (b. 1923)
- 1960 - Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1886)
- 1961 - Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American swimmer and inventor (b. 1884)
- 1962 - Stanley Lord, captain of the SS Californian the night of the Titanic disaster (b. 1877)
- 1962 - André Lhote, french painter.
- 1965 - Winston Churchill, soldier, politician, historian, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Nobel laureate (b. 1874)
- 1966 - Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist (b. 1909)
- 1970 - Caresse Crosby, American poet (b. 1891)
- 1971 - Bill W., American co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (b. 1895)
- 1973 - J. Carrol Naish, American actor (b. 1897)
- 1973 - Masao Ohba, world champion Japanese boxer (b. 1949)
- 1975 - Larry Fine, American actor and comedian (b. 1902)
- 1978 - Herta Oberheuser, German doctor (b. 1911)
- 1980 - Lil Dagover, Dutch-born German actress, (b. 1887)
- 1982 - Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian president and dictator (b. 1918)
- 1983 - George Cukor, American film director (b. 1899)
- 1986 - L. Ron Hubbard, American writer and founder of Scientology (b. 1911)
- 1986 - Flo Hyman, American volleyball player (b. 1954)
- 1986 - Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (b. 1921)
- 1988 - Werner Fenchel, German mathematician (b. 1905)
- 1989 - Ted Bundy, American serial killer (b. 1946)
- 1989 - George Knudson, Canadian golfer (b. 1937)
- 1990 - Madge Bellamy, American actress (b. 1899)
- 1991 - John M. Kelly, Irish politician and academic (b. 1931)
- 1992 - Ken Darby, American composer, arranger and conductor (b. 1909)
- 1992 - Ricky Ray Rector, American murderer (b. 1950)
- 1993 - Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1908)
- 1993 - Uğur Mumcu, Turkish journalist and writer (b. 1942)
- 1994 - Yves Navarre, French writer (b. 1940)
- 1998 - Walter D. Edmonds, American author (b. 1903)
- 2000 - Bobby Duncum, Jr., American professional wrestler (b. 1965)
- 2002 - Peter Gzowski, Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter (b. 1934)
- 2002 - Elie Hobeika, Lebanese Forces militia commander (b. 1956)
- 2003 - Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (b. 1921)
- 2004 - Leônidas da Silva, Brazilian footballer (b. 1913)
- 2005 - June Bronhill, Australian singer (b. 1929)
- 2005 - Vladimir Savchenko, Ukrainian writer (b. 1933)
- 2005 - Chalkie White, English rugby union coach (b. 1929)
- 2006 - Fayard Nicholas, American tap dancer, one-half of The Nicholas Brothers (b. 1914)
- 2006 - Schafik Handal, Salvadoran politician
- 2006 - Chris Penn, American actor (b. 1965)
- 2007 - Krystyna Feldman, Polish actress (b. 1916)
- 2007 - Guadalupe Larriva, Ecuadorian politician (b. 1956)
- 2007 - Emiliano Mercado del Toro, World's Oldest Military Veteran (b. 1891)
- 2008 - Randy Salerno, co-anchor of Chicago's CBS 2 News (b. 1963)
